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J. J. LOONEY.

NEGKYOKE.

No. 293,970. A Patented Feb-19, 1884.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- JOHN JAMEs LOONEY, or HAZEL GREEN, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR or ONE- FOURTH TO WILLIAM H. LIGHTOAP, or sAME PLAoE.

NECK-YOKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,970, dated February 19, 1884. Application filed July 14, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN JAMEs LooNEY,

' of Hazel Green, in the county of Grant and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in N eck-Yokes and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The present invention relates to an improvement in neck-yokes, the object of which is to connect the same with the ,tongue of a vehicle in such a mannerthat any sudden jar or motion arising from the inequalities of the road surface will not cause the strain to be thrown upon the neck and shoulders of the horses, but will be confined to and equally partaken of bythe parts forming such connection.

To the accomplishment of the above the invention consists in securing the neck-yoke rings in a manner to confine them to movement in a lateral direction only, and in combining with said rings a tongue-ring, which is adapted and compelled to correspond in movement with said rings by means of eyes or loops formed upon or cast with said ring, and interlocking with eyes or loops likewise attached to the neck-yoke rings, all as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

' For a better comprehension of my invention, and to enable those skilled in its relative art to know how to construct and use the same, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a perspective View of the entire device, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal section through the neck-yoke.

In the drawings, A indicates the neck-yoke, and B B two metal plates, secured, respectively, to the upper and lower sides thereof. To'the upper plate, B, is riveted or otherwise secured a metallic strip, a, provided on its under edge and at points equidistant from its.

center with square-cut notches b b, which fit over correspondingly-shaped notches cut in the outer edges of rings 0 O, encircling the neck-yoke. The notches in the strip a are of a greater diameter than the thickness of the rings 0 O, and, looking with the notches in the latter, said rings are confined to movement in a lateraldirection only, and thereby compel the tongue to take up the same movement in the event of a sudden jar or motion thereof.

The neck-yoke rings 0 O are each provided with an eye which interlocks with eyes d d, cast or formed upon a ring, D, designed to encircle and support the vehicletongue. These eyes may be cast upon their respective rings, as illustrated; or they may be bent in anydesired way to form loops, this being left to the option of the parties manufacturing them.

It will further be obvious that the metallic strip a could be modified in a variety of ways and yet meet the requirements for which'it is designed.

Among the advantages I assert over the neck-yokes now in use are, first, by the connection established between the neck-yoke and tongue the latter is at all times compelled to swing in a lateral direction, and thereby deliver the strain equally upon the neck-yoke rings and not upon the neck and shoulders of the horses, as would occur if the tongue had move-' ment in a vertical direction; second, by connecting the tongue and neck-yoke rings by means of eyes or loops, there is obviated the usual wear at that point where the eyes or loops of the latter come in contact with the tongue; and, third, by securing and so causing the neck-yoke rings to oscillate in a lateral direction only, there is no rattle or possibility of them becoming displaced.

I am aware of the existence of Patent No. 257,440, of May 2, 1882, but disclaim anything therein described or shown, as it possesses those disadvantages which this mode of connectionproposes to obviate.

Having thus described my invention and 0 set forth some of its advantages, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a neck-yoke, of a pair of rings encircling the same, and secured thereto by means preventing said rings from 5 turning upon the neck-yoke or moving in any direction but a lateral one, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the neck-yoke and its rings, notched as set forth, of a metallic strip secured upon the top of the neck-yoke, and provided with notches fitting over those in the rings, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the neck-yoke and its rings, provided with eyes or loops, as set forth, of a tongue-ring having eyes or loops interlocking with those of the neck-yoke rings, IO substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN JAMES LOONEY.

Vitn esses:

HENRY D. YORK, JOHN BIRKETT. 

